Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 232 - Sister Are You Jealous of Me
Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Sister, Are You Jealous of Me?
Chapter 232 -232: Sister, Are You Jealous of Me?
The Emperor snorted coldly, casting a sidelong glance at Prime Minister Li.
“Prime Minister, do you also think that Great Yan should cede territory and pay compensation, to surrender and seek peace?”
Prime Minister Li immediately knelt down with a thud: “This servant dares not! The men of Great Yan are all spirited, how could the thought of surrendering arise? This servant is merely concerned about the morale of the soldiers at the Frontier Pass, fearing that a loss of spirit could lead to utter defeat. Even though the Xiongnu have powerful weapons, we, the People of Great Yan, have an overwhelming population that could crush the Xiongnu Soldiers. This servant truly does not understand why we only defend and do not attack, leaving the common people in a state of constant dread!”
If the Emperor had not been previously aware that Jun Yuyan and General Fu were secretly developing the Xiongnu’s “Fire–thunder,” he would have been furiously outraged at this moment, thinking that Jun Yuyan and the others were cowardly and afraid.
Looking at the officials below who were echoing Prime Minister Li’s sentiments, the Emperor felt a pleasing sense of being the only sober person in a room full of drunks.
He cleared his throat and said, “First of all, I want my words to be clear, Great Yan will never seek peace. Even if we are fighting to the last drop of blood, Great Yan will not surrender! Secondly, Prince Ling and General Fu must have their own strategy. I trust General Fu, and I trust my eldest son. He has always been the son I’m the proudest of!”
The words from the imperial court quickly spread outside, and upon hearing this, the citizens felt their blood boil, each expressing that the Emperor was indeed good, and the men of Great Yan should have that spirited nature, to never surrender or plead for peace even in death!
The Second Prince, reclining in the arms of his two beautiful concubines, laughed scornfully again and again.
The Emperor was deliberately crafting his own image, making himself appear valiant. In reality, the Emperor was nothing but a gutless worm. If the Xiongnu truly attacked, the first to run would surely be him.
When the Emperor said that Jun Yuyan was his proudest son, wasn’t he also speaking for his ears?
If it had been in the past, he would have been jealous and resentful, thinking that the Emperor truly took pride in the Eldest Imperial Brother.
Wasn’t the Emperor just looking for an excuse to move against the Eldest Imperial Brother’s influence in the Capital City?
Even without the Emperor’s words, he would certainly make his move when necessary, but he was clear-headed enough to know what was more important—his real opponent was the Third Prince.
Thinking of the Third Prince’s hidden illness brought the Second Prince some comfort.
The Fourth Prince’s assassination attempt had nothing to do with him.
After discovering that the Third Prince was the son the Emperor cared about the most, he had secretly investigated the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince’s maternal family was of low status, with only a modest official as a grandfather, said to be an upright magistrate but with mediocre ability. Therefore, he never joined the imperial cabinet. Later on, only a few capable individuals emerged from his family clan and, thanks to the fortune of the Fourth Prince and his mother, they had become wealthy idlers—nothing more.
In the Second Prince’s opinion, the assassination attempt on the Fourth Prince was probably crafted by the Third Prince.
After all, the Third Prince now had an illness that limited his ability to continue the line, whereas the news of the Fourth Prince’s wife’s pregnancy had spread shortly after over a month of marriage.
It was presumably out of jealousy.
The Second Prince was in no hurry concerning the matter of heirs; first, because he was still young and second, because he feared the Emperor’s suspicion.
Having an Imperial Grandson too early would not attract much favor.
The Emperor probably had doubts about the child in Murong Jiu’s belly but cared little whether Jun Yuyan was raising another man’s child or not.
The rumors about Murong Jiu carrying twins being an ominous sign were rampant, weren’t they also permitted by the Emperor?
Among the four brothers, Jun Yuyan was the most unfortunate. Superior in both literary and martial skills, and no less than his ancestors, had the Emperor been a good ruler, Jun Yuyan would have been made the Crown Prince long ago. Where then would there have been a chance for him to act, causing Jun Yuyan to end up disfigured and disabled?
He now realized that his initial success had been so smooth because the Emperor surely had a hand in it, helping things along behind the scenes.
His unscrupulous father wanted a good reputation but couldn’t stand to see his sons surpass him. He could only resort to such despicable methods to ruin Jun Yuyan.
With the menacing advance of the Xiongnu and the famine at hand, having Murong Jiu to bear the brunt, wouldn’t people stop resenting him, the Emperor?
Ultimately, the Emperor is just a selfish man.
Fortunately, the Third Prince has reproductive issues, which was not in vain since I had someone attempt to assassinate him at the academy back then.
The Second Prince is in his prime, and the situation of the Third Prince only adds to his smugness.
Though he claims to desire no offspring, after marrying, he developed a taste for it. Having abstained for a long while on his frontier mission, he took advantage of the time he spent recovering from his injuries to indulge himself. This made the Emperor think that he is now preoccupied with women.
Lately, every woman in the rear palace, except for Murong Man, has served the Second Prince a few times.
Each woman was full of flirtatious glances.
“Sister, you don’t know, the Highness is very generous to me. Perhaps he finds me comforting to be around, for he let me come to his chambers for two consecutive nights.”
A visitor came today to Murong Man’s secluded courtyard.
It was none other than Murong Man’s half-sister from a different mother, Murong Dan, whose mother was merely a concubine once the foot-washing maid beside Lady Wang.
Murong Jian had her after a drunken episode and regretted it upon waking up. If not for her immediate conception, he wouldn’t have wanted to acknowledge her as a concubine.
Murong Jian hardly ever showed a kind face to this daughter of the foot-washing maid, Murong Dan.
But she was fairly good-looking, or else the Old Madam would not have sent her with several other blossoming girls from the Murong Family to the Prince Mansion to be one of the Second Prince’s concubines.
Seeing no one around, Murong Man stopped pretending, scanned the opulently dressed Murong Dan from head to toe, and then sneered coldly:
“What’s this, have you come to boast in front of me? Do you think the Second Prince’s favor will last forever? Dream on.”
Murong Dan was young, just having reached marriageable age, but after years of serving loyally like a maidservant beside her mother and Lady Wang, she’d learned to hide her thoughts well.
She smiled slightly: “Are you jealous, sister? The Highness has cast you aside like an old shoe, yet showers me with gold, silver, pearls, and luxurious silks. I couldn’t afford a court physician for you before, but now I can. Why don’t I find one to take your pulse and see if you’ll be able to bear children for the Highness in the future?”
Murong Man’s face darkened.
The child she lost was the most painful wound in her heart.
It wasn’t that she was particularly fond of the child, but the Second Prince’s reaction had severely wounded her in body and spirit. As she lay in bed drinking the medicine that was deliberately tainted by her servants, her heart filled with deep hatred toward the Second Prince.
He had been tender and sweet to her, calling her Manman, but his demeanor had drastically changed, becoming extremely unfamiliar and even ferocious upon learning of her pregnancy.
But she also knew that having a child meant having support. The Second Prince wasn’t against her giving birth, she just shouldn’t have gotten pregnant before Yun Weiwei did. After all, only because Yun Weiwei was the Principal Consort, and she was the daughter of the criminal Lady Wang.
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She still had a chance after Yun Weiwei gave birth to a child, with a child, there was someone to rely on.
However, hearing Murong Dan tear open her unhealed wound like this, her heart blazed with fury. She longed to tear apart Murong Dan’s obnoxious smile, but in the end, she restrained herself.
It wasn’t time yet, she consoled herself.
But unexpectedly, not long after Murong Dan left, she suddenly returned with a group of people to her little courtyard!
